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The Unfixed Stars, by Michael Byers

The Unfixed Stars, by Michael Byers (Published August 1, 2011 by Picador USA)

In this novel, Byers depicts the suspenseful search for Planet X, the 9th planet in our solar system, a story in which the truth is, literally, stranger than fiction. Amongst the interesting characters is real-life Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who actually found the planet in 1930, an inquisitive, persistent and broken-hearted man. Knowing that Planet X, or Pluto, is no longer classified as a major planet does not diminish the enjoyment of this race to discovery. Byers writes:

“Our lives intersect, and interfere, and there is no telling where certain beauties might come from.”

I certainly did not expect such beautiful, impassioned writing in a novel about astronomy and mathematics. It made me look at the night sky with a renewed sense of wonder. (“The Unfixed Stars” was published in the USA as “Percival’s Planet”.)

During the Troubles, the British government tried hard to recruit informants, or “touts,” as they were called, among the paramilitary gangs on both sides of the conflict. The problem is that by collecting intelligence from terrorists engaged in deadly criminality, the state can be complicit in those crimes. And when informants commit murder, the state has an […]

Over a few days every year Semi-Permanent is a pixel-pumping, creativity-boosting, and future-making series of events taking place in Sydney, Australia, and beyond.The festival was founded in 2003 by Murray Bell and Andrew Johnstone. Every year since its inception a designer (or design team) has been invited to create an opening title sequence to launch the […]

“Do you think you'll still be the chosen one, no matter what you do?” — Miguel Once upon a time, in a far away land, a little girl lived deep in the woods. They called her Princesita.If this sounds like the introduction to a quaint, Disney-style fairy tale, it is anything but. Inspired by real-life accounts of secretive cults and the harm they can infli […]